SVMHS Earns Mission: Lifeline Bronze Plus Receiving Achievement Award

Salinas, CA, June 19, 2018- Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System (SVMHS) has received the Mission: Lifeline® Bronze Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award. This prestigious award
recognizes the implementation of specific quality improvement measures
outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients
who suffer severe heart attacks.

“Every day our medical team is saving the lives of people who have
just experienced a heart attack,” says Pete Delgado, President/CEO
of Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System. “We are committed
to providing the highest standard of medical care to our patients and
this award demonstrates it. We are proud of this tremendous accomplishment.”

SVMHS earned the award by meeting specific criteria and standards of performance
for quick and appropriate treatment through emergency procedures to re-establish
blood flow to blocked arteries in heart attack patients coming into the
hospital directly or by transfer from another facility. Every year, more
than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI),
the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow
to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s
critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically
opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.

“We commend Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System for this award
in recognition for following evidence-based guidelines for timely heart
attack treatment,” says Tim Henry, M.D.,
Chair of the Mission: Lifeline Acute Coronary Syndrome Subcommittee. “We applaud the significant
institutional commitment to their critical role in the system of care
for quickly and appropriately treating heart attack patients.”

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program’s
goal is to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks,
beginning with the 9-1-1 call, to EMS transport and continuing through
hospital treatment and discharge. The initiative provides tools, training
and other resources to support heart attack care following protocols from
the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines.